At CES 2024, Kia showcased several concept cars with an innovative and futuristic use case - a versatile and highly customizable minivans. These cars turn into anything from a cargo-delivery van to a luxury cab or a camping car.
kiamedia.com/us/en/models/pv7-concept/0/gallery
According to Kia, some of these futuristic minivans are set to be released as early as 2025. They feature a sleek and round-edged exterior style that is prevalent in modern automotive design.
The interior features a highly compartmentalized layout.
The current state of the automotive interior is rather black and white - you either get seats or an empty space for cargo. If you want anything else, such as built-in cabinet-style storage, your only option is to find a talented carpenter. The customizing process can cost thousands of dollars and most likely void the manufacturer's warranty.
Options to customize the interior layouts of the car, offered by the manufacturer, would not only benefit a lot of people who rely on their vehicles as part of their careers but also provide a very interesting opportunity and exciting experience for regular consumers. As for myself, I dream of owning a small camping car that I can drive on a road trip.
Another recurring automotive theme at the CES 2024, was the LED exterior. As you can see in the photos below, the front bumper has an LED screen. My initial thought was that this could be useful as an added feature for ride-hailing services to notify the prospective passenger(s) that this car is indeed driven by the services' driver. However, the flashing letters on a vehicle may become a distractive hazard for other drivers on the road.
As a concept, it seems very cool to be able to customize LED screens around the exterior of the car, but a safe implementation may require a creative solution.
The most innovative feature of these Kia minivans is the 'easy swap' mechanism. You can switch out the cargo compartment of the vehicle, according to your needs and desires, without having to buy a new vehicle.
kiamedia.com/us/en/models/pv7-concept/0/gallery
With the 'easy swap' system, you could trade in just a portion of the car and get a completely new style of vehicle - from a pickup truck to a camping car. It will be much cheaper than trading in a whole vehicle because most of the car's pricing is based on the performance-dependent part of the car such as the engine, chassis, wheels, software, etc.
kiamedia.com/us/en/models/pv7-concept/0/gallery
As a huge car enthusiast, I look forward to seeing more customizability in the car industry. According to Kia, this can be as soon as next year!
At CES 2024, Kia showcased several concept cars with an innovative and futuristic use case - a versatile and highly customizable minivans. These cars turn into anything from a cargo-delivery van to a luxury cab or a camping car.
kiamedia.com/us/en/models/pv7-concept/0/gallery
According to Kia, some of these futuristic minivans are set to be released as early as 2025. They feature a sleek and round-edged exterior style that is prevalent in modern automotive design.
The interior features a highly compartmentalized layout.
The current state of the automotive interior is rather black and white - you either get seats or an empty space for cargo. If you want anything else, such as built-in cabinet-style storage, your only option is to find a talented carpenter. The customizing process can cost thousands of dollars and most likely void the manufacturer's warranty.
Options to customize the interior layouts of the car, offered by the manufacturer, would not only benefit a lot of people who rely on their vehicles as part of their careers but also provide a very interesting opportunity and exciting experience for regular consumers. As for myself, I dream of owning a small camping car that I can drive on a road trip.
Another recurring automotive theme at the CES 2024, was the LED exterior. As you can see in the photos below, the front bumper has an LED screen. My initial thought was that this could be useful as an added feature for ride-hailing services to notify the prospective passenger(s) that this car is indeed driven by the services' driver. However, the flashing letters on a vehicle may become a distractive hazard for other drivers on the road.
As a concept, it seems very cool to be able to customize LED screens around the exterior of the car, but a safe implementation may require a creative solution.
The most innovative feature of these Kia minivans is the 'easy swap' mechanism. You can switch out the cargo compartment of the vehicle, according to your needs and desires, without having to buy a new vehicle.
kiamedia.com/us/en/models/pv7-concept/0/gallery
With the 'easy swap' system, you could trade in just a portion of the car and get a completely new style of vehicle - from a pickup truck to a camping car. It will be much cheaper than trading in a whole vehicle because most of the car's pricing is based on the performance-dependent part of the car such as the engine, chassis, wheels, software, etc.
kiamedia.com/us/en/models/pv7-concept/0/gallery
As a huge car enthusiast, I look forward to seeing more customizability in the car industry. According to Kia, this can be as soon as next year!